Page 7 of Plus-Size Bullied Mate

“Then you should sleep more.”

Cole chuckles to himself, making a poor attempt at keeping quiet.

I give him a flat look while my mother smooths imaginary wrinkles from my shirt like I’m still a kid heading off to school, and even if it’s annoying, I see the pride in her eyes.

“It’s good to have you home,” she says softly.

The teasing drains out of the room instantly, and emotion gathers in my throat.

I swallow around it and nod once. “It’s good to be home.”

Her expression warms, and I’m brought back to those earlier days without warning. To all the time and care she invested in me, even when I was the only thing keeping her head on straight.

Then, because I can’t experience sincerity uninterrupted, she adds, “Now all you need is a mate.”

Cole outright laughs, and I close my eyes briefly.

“That is not my priority right now.”

“Oh, please,” my mother says with a more amused grin. “You’re the alpha now, which means you should start looking more seriously.”

“That’s not how mating works.”

“No, but the pack would love a luna.”

“I just got back,” I utter, letting go of a long-suffering sigh.

It doesn’t matter how often we do this song and dance, or what it’s even about; she rarely backs down.

“And?”

“And I have enough responsibilities already.”

She exchanges a look with Cole that immediately puts me on edge. I already know what that means.

“You know, Clara isn’t wrong,” Cole says casually, more like they’ve had this conversation between the two of them before. “There were several unmated women at the ceremony looking very interested.”

“Please spare me.”

My mother pats my cheek with zero sympathy and grins. “You’ll thank me for pestering you someday.”

“I doubt that,” I murmur, setting the plate aside for now.

She ignores that entirely before finally taking mercy on me and leaving the room.

Cole is still grinning afterward. “You attract attention now more than ever. You shouldn’t be surprised.”

“I attracted attention before.”

“Yeah,” he says dryly, “but now you’re in charge. That’s a whole other matter.”

“It sounds exhausting.”

“It will be.”

The two of us nurse our desserts and drinks in relative silence as the storm passes, the mist gradually clearing and drifting through the trees below the hill, while moonlight cuts across the wet forest.

My wolf stirs restlessly the longer I sit around, even if I should be winding down by now. The urge to patrol comes suddenly, but I don’t fight it.